Friday, May 05, 2006

Prayers of Penitence

Biblical scholars have recognized that the prayers found in Ezra 9:6-15, Neh. 1:5-11, 9:6-37 and Daniel 9:4-19 constitute a distinct genre of prayers of penitence. The distinctiveness has been stated in three primary areas. Only these prayers contain the phrase translated as “to make confession.” Only these contain a structure moving from ascription to confession and finally to petition. Finally these four prayers are penitential in character and can be linked to the penitential program advanced in Solomon’s Temple dedication prayer.